Analysis
Several social media posts across multiple platforms are circulating the unsupported claim that 75 children in Pakistan contracted polio despite being vaccinated. The reported source for the claim is the Minister of State for National Health Services, who allegedly announced that the government would launch an inquiry into the cases. One post sharing the claim accused the government—without evidence—of refusing to check the ingredients of polio vaccines provided by the Gates Foundation and WHO because they are “exempted” from testing. Other posts claimed that the vaccines are just water, that the vaccines are “poison” that causes polio, and that polio vaccines harmed half a million people in India, a myth that has been repeatedly debunked. However, the limited online coverage of the claim does not include a quote from the minister to support it. Additionally, no mainstream news sites, global health organizations, or government bodies have confirmed the alleged infections or the existence of any inquiry. Notably, the supposed number of polio infections in vaccinated children surpasses the total number of polio cases in Pakistan for all of 2024.
Recommendations
Unsubstantiated claims about the effectiveness and safety of polio vaccines may discourage parents from vaccinating their children. Messaging may explain that vaccination prevents all forms of polio, and there is no evidence of a large number of polio infections in vaccinated children. Emphasizing that polio vaccines are safety tested multiple times before they are given to children is recommended, as is explaining that children are at great risk of death and disability from polio, not from vaccination. Messaging may also explain that all countries that have eradicated polio have done so using the polio vaccine.